F1 Rejects Track Designing Competition

Bleu · Post by **Bleu** » 28 Feb 2017, 12:50

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7030770

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 28 Feb 2017, 20:04

Genova CitySprint | 1.985 miles (3.194km) | Map

Since the disappearance of Sanremo from WRC, the north-western coast of Italy has been missing a home of motorsport. This is it. A 1.985mi run through the heart of Genova, the port town that forms one third of the economic triangle of Milano-Torino-Genova.

To sum up the track in a single word, I would have to choose Spetaccolare. This jewel-in-the-crown event blasts around the Arco della Vittoria - a major Genova landmark with plenty of space for the viewing crowds - and proceeds to fly through the Galleria Cristoforo Colombo tunnel, a rare and dramatic feature of motor racing circuits. The track forms a figure of eight, looping round and crossing above the tunnel entrance, leading to a tricky winding section. This is where things get really hard - Porta dell'Olivella is strictly single file, so make sure your overtakes are done and dusted by then, or else.

Note that despite being a coastal city circut, there is an elevation variance of over 150 metres over the course of the track! Far from bland topographically...

Aislabie · Post by **Aislabie** » 01 Mar 2017, 20:51

Now, I know this contravenes the rules a little bit, but I'm going to post the results a little bit earlier than I'm strictly supposed to. There are two reasons for this: firstly, one of the entrants submitted almost precisely what I hoped I'd see (congratulations) and secondly because it feels like pretty much anyone who's anyone has already entered. Apologies if you haven't, but I don't see any sense in delaying further.

Therefore...

1/ Greenwich Park Circuit (Watka)
I love it. Historic landmarks, esses, hairpins, long straights, elevation change and spectator seating. This is pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

2/ St Anna Circuit, Curacao (Adrian Belmonte)
With spectacular scenery and spectator viewing spots available on the main straight and inside the Ronde Markt turn, this could easily accommodate every resident of Curacao with even a passing interest (heh, pun) in motorsport. Although not as thought out as the Autodromo da Tablada, I think this layout lends itself very well to F3 cars.

3/ Autodromo da Tablada (WaffleCat)
A very well thought-out circuit, and the extra information is always helpful. That said, I'm not entirely certain that all of the overtaking spots would work out as planned: on a circuit so short as this one, there are a lot of braking zones which creates a staccato feel that may prevent Formula Three drivers building up enough momentum in order that they can outbrake the car in front.

4/ Short Corse Course (Ataxia)
A small collection of heavy braking zones for overtaking and a squiggly bit that could still be taken at high speeds. So why isn't it higher? Two reasons. The first is the lack of run-off area. If you miss your braking point into the Cap Gros Hairpin, you could accidentally chuck your car into the sea (oops). Also, I'm not entirely sure where the spectators are going to come from, let alone go once they get there. The track is in the arse-end of nowhere. A shame really; this layout in a field somewhere with run-off and spectator seating would have been a real winner.

5/ Grim Streets of Portsmouth (Pasta Maldonado)
This circuit manages to take in an Asda, a Tesco, a Sainsbury's, a McDonald's, a train station and a cathedral. None of which I'm holding against it, except that barrage of ninety-degree turns in the Asda car park. If you'd turned left from Arundel Street onto the A2030, this would have been one of the top few circuits. The twisty bit is just too twisty.

6/ Motorbana Grimslov (UgncreativeUsergname)
Very simple, with each corner slightly different from the others. And there's nothing wrong with simple. Plenty of scope for spectator seating also. Basically, it answers the brief perfectly... but there's nothing memorable about it. No turns that stand out as the highlight of the lap; no scenery that provides a scenic backdrop to a field of F3 cars barrelling around. (Well, there might be, but I've no way of knowing because there's no map here.)

7/ Red River Autodrome (Bleu)
For the most part, this is a really good circuit - no two corners are the same, and there's plenty of spectator space in the infield. Unfortunately, it also contains my pet peeve: a snail corner. If it weren't for the snail corner - say, if there was a chicane before the back straight - then this would be both a simple and effective circuit. Controversially, I'm also marking you down a little bit because you have just followed an outline given to you rather than knowing when to deviate from it (e.g. the snail corner).

8/ Posner Park Circuit (Dr Baker)
I'm not convinced by this one; there are a lot of long sweepers, which would have been great at the turn of the century but now would likely be taken in single file. The main straight should be good for slipstreaming, and Turn Five could be an interesting braking zone. The elevation change should make the final turn quite spectacular.

9/ Field Near Bratislava (HawkAussie)
As previously mentioned, I have a bit of an irrational hatred of snail turns, so that big southern complex really does lose some brownie points for me. It feels pretty difficult for drivers to get a rhythm on this one, but again I'm pretty sure it would have been better in my eyes without the snail turn. Apologies.

10/ Crystal Palace Parade (This Could Be You)
While I always appreciate a nod to the AVUS, the fact remains that fifteen of your circuit's sixteen turns have been squeezed into a mile of race track. Also, apart from a temporary stand to look at the main straight and back straight, there would be little spectator viewing possible because some inconsiderate bastard has built houses in the way.

11/ Genova CitySprint (The Artist Formerly Known As Biscione)
This might be a little controversial, especially given the extra effort that has been made in the write-up of this circuit and in explaining all of its features, but I'm going to have to rate this circuit quite lowly. I feel like you've valued the destination of Genoa over the practicality of hosting a race on such narrow and impractical streets. The result is twenty turns in under two miles and, unless I'm seeing things wrongly, there's nowhere for the spectators to really get a good view.

12/ Haugsbygd Difficult To Spell Circuit (Normal32)
I'm not sure why, but I dislike this circuit. I think the appendage with the Beijing-tight hairpin could pose a problem, as could the fact that there are almost no straights on the circuit - almost all the "straights" are sweeping turns that would likely be taken single file in the dry. Yeah, this circuit just doesn't really float my boat.

watka · Post by **watka** » 02 Mar 2017, 20:03

I take it the bold means I win?

I'll post my idea for a competition later tonight, or tomorrow.

TheFlyingCaterham · Post by **TheFlyingCaterham** » 02 Mar 2017, 20:25

Oh, I'm late.

Might as well post my entry for this anyways because I can.

http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=591046

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 02 Mar 2017, 22:05

TheFlyingCaterham wrote:Oh, I'm late.

Yeah, "anyone who's anyone" apparently does not include the current champion. Though you are in fact late, by 21 minutes, so I won't make Aislabie put your track in.

watka · Post by **watka** » 02 Mar 2017, 22:21

TheFlyingCaterham wrote:Oh, I'm late.

Might as well post my entry for this anyways because I can.

http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=591046

For the record, I quite like this, would be nice to see racing at Roskilde. Only criticism is there's no clear cut overtaking point.

For my challenge, I want you to design a circuit around a former Winter Olympics host city. This has been done successfully at Sochi, so I expect you to be able to do it too! The track can be around the site of the Olympic stadium, Olympic village or if you really fancy a challenge, any of the Olympic venues (bonus concessions may be given for picking particularly challenging locations over city venues!). In terms of distances, minimum length of 4km, maximum length of 10km. You may flatten buildings/nature, except for the arenas/venues themselves.

TheFlyingCaterham · Post by **TheFlyingCaterham** » 02 Mar 2017, 23:37

Definitely not late this time

The Birkebeineren Motorstadion, around the cross-country skiing venue of the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=591090

Aislabie · Post by **Aislabie** » 03 Mar 2017, 01:32

watka wrote:I take it the bold means I win?

Yep; I've edited it with position numbers just for clarity.

TheFlyingCaterham wrote:Oh, I'm late.

Might as well post my entry for this anyways because I can.

http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=591046

I really like that circuit, reminds me a bit of Mallory Park. Would probably have been top-five, though not sure if it would have earned points or not.

UgncreativeUsergname wrote:Yeah, "anyone who's anyone" apparently does not include the current champion.

My apologies; I saw that I had a dozen entries and couldn't believe there'd be anyone left! Really good to see so many people active here though

Aislabie · Post by **Aislabie** » 03 Mar 2017, 02:04

Okay then.

Mirror Lake Circuit, Lake Placid, Winter Olympic Host City 1932 and 1980.

This is a long and fast circuit, similar in some ways to Spa-Francorchamps. With pole position on the right hand side of the track, the pole-sitter should be able to retain their position through Turn One, although Turn Two will present an opportunity if the second-placed qualifier can hold it around the outside. Turns Three and Five and Six also offer overtaking opportunities before a ninety-degree right-hander takes competitors out around Mirror Lake. This high speed, occasionally twisty loop would be more exciting in touring cars than formula cars, but would make for a remarkable TV spectacle either way.

There is also well over 150m of elevation change across the circuit, which can be checked in the elevation profile.

Also, most of the corners are named, usually after street names and local landmarks:

T1 (R) - Shipman
T2 (L) - Cascade
T3 (L) - McKinley
T4 (L) - unnamed kink
T5 (R) - Crossroads
T6 (L) - Sentinel
T7 (L) - Morningside
T8 (R) - Oval
T9 (L) - unnamed kink
T10 (R) - unnamed kink
T11 (R) - Beech Hill
T12 (L) - Northwood
T13 (L) - Ruissemont
T14 (L) - Harbor
T15 (R) - Beach House
T16 (R,L) - Bear's Chicane
T17 (L) - unnamed kink
T18 (R) - Pickled Pig
T19 (R) - Olympic Turn

This Could Be You · Post by **This Could Be You** » 03 Mar 2017, 17:36

Here is my attempt, the 4.24KM Nagano Olympic Circuit, (built around the Nagano '98 Olympic Stadium, which hosted the opening ceremony) featuring a stupidly twisty layout, a long straight and a Mexico-style grandstand section inside the stadium itself!

(I'll be the first to admit that I may have gone overboard on the corners in the pursuit of circuit length- I mean, there's 40 of them :facepalm:

)

Normal32 · Post by **Normal32** » 03 Mar 2017, 19:45

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7032619

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 03 Mar 2017, 21:25

Innsbruck: http://gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7010993

pasta_maldonado · Post by **pasta_maldonado** » 03 Mar 2017, 21:36

A street course around the Turin Olympic Stadium: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=591283

The track is intended to be run anti-clockwise.

coldcherrii · Post by **coldcherrii** » 04 Mar 2017, 00:19

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7032796 I edited my track because I was 1km short.

This track is located in Germany.

Peteroli34 · Post by **Peteroli34** » 04 Mar 2017, 01:16

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7032816

Nagano sight of the 1998 Winter Olympics

AdrianBelmonte_ · Post by **AdrianBelmonte_** » 04 Mar 2017, 03:51

No Salt Lake City? okay

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7032873

Bleu · Post by **Bleu** » 04 Mar 2017, 20:33

Calgary: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7033200

watka · Post by **watka** » 06 Mar 2017, 22:01

OK, so its been over 48 hours since the last entry. I hope to get the results up soon!

watka · Post by **watka** » 07 Mar 2017, 22:16

So here are the results!

10. This Could Be You - Nagano Olympic Circuit
This is a monstrosity! 40 corners, really? Corners 34 and 35 sum it up, how sharp are they? The stadium section has way too much going on too. There is a least one decent straight and a few overtaking spots but this is just too much!

9. pasta_maldonado - Turin Olympic Stadium Circuit
I'm sorry, but it's just too dull. Without the off-shoots, it's pretty much just a rectangle. Even the off-shoots aren't much more than elongated chicanes. Nice location though, plenty of viewing.

8. peteroli34 - Nagano Olympic Stadium Circuit
Much better than the first Nagano entry, but that's not saying too much! My main issue here is that it has too many little kinks, particularly in the middle of the course. It's just a bit over-designed & over-technical, which then means it will be difficult to get the power down for large parts of the lap.

7. Normal32 - Drammen Circuit (Oslo)
This track is OK for the most part. I presume the start/finish line isn't where the start pin is as that would be right before the first hairpin! It's good enough in most areas, but I don't really see where the real challenge is. I get what you're trying to do between the 4 and 5 km markers, but like the circuit above, it's overly-technical and doesn't flow. Also don't particularly like that it's in amongst the houses.

6. UgncreativeUsergname - Innsbruck Triangle Circuit
I like the idea of a circuit in Innsbruck but I think it could have been a bit better executed. I must admit it took a bit of time to find out which Olympic venue was nearby (the Messehalle). Just a few things to cut down on the 90 degree-ish corners (carrying on down Museumstrasse and onto Marktgraben then up Innrain along the river, for example) would improve it.

5. Bleu - Calgary Circuit
Firstly, the location is pretty good, taking in both the stadium (which has a lot of space around it to work with) and a park. There's also the possibility of multiple configurations using the Agriculture Trail and 6 Street. The first 2 miles and pretty spot on. I quite like the use of the cross-over; unique but not over-complex. The last section around 12th and 13th Ave let it down, I really don't like that awkward combination of corners, it's just too tight.

4. Choassy - Garmisch-Partenkirchen Circuit
I'd put this track in the same group as Drammen. It's amongst the houses in a small town (but next to an autobahn

), but the corners are a bit more interesting this time. It would be interesting to see how cars would follow each other through the first mile, it seems to have that desired flow. The last 3 corners have a feel of Turn 8 at Istanbul, although without run off!

3. Aislabie - Mirror Lake Circuit (Lake Placid)
A tale of 2 tracks here. The track around the town does nothing for me really, not a lot of say. The circuit around the lake though is fantastic though, much like the Potrero de los Funes, with sweeping corners and undulations. Perhaps throw in the odd chicane to create an overtaking spot but that's really nit picking.

2. AdrianBelmonte_ - Salt Lake City Circuit
It's dead simple, but I love it! American street circuits are good for a reason; wide track, clear overtaking points even if they are right-angles. It's not a challenging circuit at all but you can guarantee good racing on it. Plenty of places to set up grandstands. The hairpin is very tight, but so was the one at Long Beach! I couldn't put this on top though as it doesn't really fit the true spirit I was going for in the theme (although it totally makes the letter of the theme).

1. TheFlyingCaterham - Birkebeineren Motorstadion (Lillehammer)
This looks like it could be made into a proper motorsports facility and what's more is that it's in a properly wintery place. You've profiled the corners very nicely, they are not just constant radius. It by and large feels nice and open and the tighter parts are put in at appropriate sections, not just randomly chucked in. The end of the lap feels like a stadium section ala Hockenheim, so that covers the fan experience too.

TheFlyingCaterham · Post by **TheFlyingCaterham** » 13 Mar 2017, 20:32

Been long enough, might as well post my challenge now.

For this one, you need to make a track that has at least 100 metres of elevation in it. I know you can check this on the mappedometer site, via the elevation graph option under the route distance, but I'm not sure about on the milermeter site, which could cause a few problems. The course should be between 4-10km, and although you can create a route that doesn't follow any roads, of the road ends up too steep it will cost you. No going through buildings, either. Other than that, you're free to make whatever track you want.

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 13 Mar 2017, 20:45

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7038016

Aislabie · Post by **Aislabie** » 13 Mar 2017, 23:43

Here's a circuit in the arse-end of nowhere in the lake district. Elevation change isn't a problem - getting bulldozers in to even out some of the more problematic sudden drops is definitely a must though. But yeah, with some landscaping to be imagined, the Hardknott-Wainscarth Mountain Course

AdrianBelmonte_ · Post by **AdrianBelmonte_** » 14 Mar 2017, 02:30

Funny enough how i'm running away in the lead despite not winning yet this year

Anyway, here it is, just inside the rules, i guess

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7038158

Bleu · Post by **Bleu** » 14 Mar 2017, 17:35

Just inside the limit:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7038394

HawkAussie · Post by **HawkAussie** » 15 Mar 2017, 08:14

Time for the Bolivia Grand Prix

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7038628

Post by **Bobby Doorknobs** » 16 Mar 2017, 00:58

This place has changed since last I came here...

My entry: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7039034

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 16 Mar 2017, 03:53

The San Remo Grand Prix is back. Sort of.... http://gb.mapometer.com/cycling/route_4499751.html

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 17 Mar 2017, 21:36

Seeing as half the entries are within Italy, I guess I will have to change things up to stay different.

San Francisco Midtown - http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=7039964

This Could Be You · Post by **This Could Be You** » 17 Mar 2017, 23:23

Here's my attempt at this challenge, the 16-corner, 8.27KM Bayerisch Eisensteinring, based in the eponymous national park on the German/Czech border. This circuit features around 250m of elevation change (although it reads 0, as it goes back to the start), a rather meagre figure considering it's right next to a ski slope, but at least it can't be any worse than my last entry...

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 23 Mar 2017, 07:00

So, uh, here's your roughly halfway reminder to judge the tracks. Don't rush it, though. There's plenty of time left.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 27 Mar 2017, 19:41

We must be close to, or past, the deadline by now?

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 28 Mar 2017, 10:06

DemocalypseNow wrote:We must be close to, or past, the deadline by now?

It's been nine days, so yes, we are. So if anyone wants to vote, then go ahead.

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 29 Mar 2017, 15:26

1. This Could Be You
2. AdrianBelmonte_

Bleu · Post by **Bleu** » 29 Mar 2017, 19:21

1. HawkAussie
2. dr-baker

This Could Be You · Post by **This Could Be You** » 29 Mar 2017, 20:02

1. DemocalypseNow
2. dr-baker

watka · Post by **watka** » 30 Mar 2017, 17:42

1. Bleu
2. AdrianBelmonte_

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 02 Apr 2017, 02:12

1. dr-baker (8)
=. AdrianBelmonte_ (8)
3. This Could Be You (6)
=. HawkAussie (6)
=. DemocalypseNow (6)
=. Bleu (6)
NC. Aislabie
NC. Simtek
NC. UgncreativeUsergname

Unless one of them doesn't want to set a challenge, we need someone else to vote.

Normal32 · Post by **Normal32** » 02 Apr 2017, 04:15

I am assuming I can vote?

1. dr-baker
2. kostas22/Stramala/Biscione/DemocalypseNow

UncreativeUsername37 · Post by **UncreativeUsername37** » 02 Apr 2017, 23:00

The new and improved standings, which I am calling final:
1. dr-baker (14)
2. DemocalypseNow (10)
3. AdrianBelmonte_ (8)
4. This Could Be You (6)
=. HawkAussie (6)
=. Bleu (6)
NC. Aislabie
NC. Simtek
NC. UgncreativeUsergname

Not only is there no tie for first, we don't need quarter points! Hooray!